Compassion is ‘in’, and taken over our young people from churches to college campuses to Hollywood. Having lived the majority of my life in Third World Countries, I say, “It is about time the average person has begun to care.” But what happens when compassion is no longer cool? Where will we spend our money when Tom’s shoes and ethnic jewelry are not in demand? Who will we reach out to when we lose our fascination with the homeless? This passion that has become the trend is nothing new. Jesus spoke time and time again about helping others. Even the Old Testament contains many instructions on caring for those less fortunate. Compassion is not a Fad. It is a way of life, a matter of the heart. It is not fashion or mission trips but a daily choice we make. It is not only feeding the hungry, healing the sick and clothing the naked.
So, what is compassion? Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” If we take a mission trip yet are unforgiving towards others, does that negate the compassion? Colossians 3:12-14 reads, “….clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” If we are not showing love towards our friends, parents, children, and especially those who have offended us, do we really have hearts of compassion? If there were a scale, where would you lean heavy? In Micah 6:8, it says that the Lord requires of us to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Are we humble in our acts of service or do we take pride in what God has done through us? Are we just and merciful in our homes? I love that the world is embracing compassion. Yet, we need to take care that we don’t substitute providing clean water in Africa with a heart that forgives and loves. Compassion is a daily choice and involves far more than meeting a social need.
Let us pray that we have compassion that comes from the heart, a commitment to forgiveness and mercy that comes from the inside out. If our hearts are truely compassionate, then our passion will outlive the trend. And, when the trend is long over, we will still be reaching out to those in need around the world.